Did you know there are more than one million passwords stolen every week? Also, each day about 6.85 million accounts get hacked.
Sometimes back, creating a password used to be simple. All you had to do was come up with a word that had personal significance for you, like the name of your pet or the name of your favorite sports franchise. Then word spread that hackers were using easy-to-guess passwords to access private and personal data.
Today, some people don’t care about their passwords, coming up with short, simple ones that hackers can crack in a matter of seconds.
It pays to choose a strong, secure password that reduces the likelihood of hacking your online accounts.
Here are the top 3 mistakes people make when creating a password.
1. Using Obvious Passwords
The most common passwords are variations of sequential digits. Passwords like 123456 or even the lengthier 1234567890 provide no security.
People use these passwords because they are so simple to type. All you have to do is move your fingers across the number row from left to right.
Also, this applies to passwords such as qwerty and qwertyuiop. They are not arbitrary strings of letters. Instead, they are a known row of keys on the keyboard.
Remember that although passwords may be memorable to you, they shouldn’t be easy. Many people overlook this and fail to consider that using an obvious password you came up with in less than five seconds won’t secure your account.
These common passwords don’t need a prospective hacker to use software for password cracking. If somebody could manually test the top 50 passwords and access your account, your password is weak.
So, you should know how to create a password with mix up letters (upper-case and lower-case), symbols, and numbers.
2. Using Default Password
Passwords are commonly used as they are. Many devices like wireless routers come with that as the default password. But many of these gadgets also warn you to change the default password to a more secure one after you’ve logged in.
Many people either refuse to change default passwords or forget to do so. It’s easy to break into a person’s Wi-Fi network if they use the default password. There is a list of default passwords for many router models on websites open for free viewing.
Thus, change the default username and password whenever you get a new device or account.
3. Short Passwords
The length is one of the most crucial aspects of strong passwords. When creating a secure password, you should know that every extra character increases the possibility space. Also, it makes your passwords tricky to crack.
If you can, make your password as long as possible. Use at least 12 characters. This will prevent the use of brute force attacks.
You can enhance password security with secure remote access solutions.
Avoid the Above Mistakes When Creating a Password
A vital security measure to protect yourself against cybercriminals is to ensure the privacy of your passwords. Your password privacy will improve if you make it a habit of creating a password that is at least 12 characters long, complex, and unique. Also, choose 2-step verification where possible.
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